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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-15T14:22:07+00:00

I would like to allow the user to enter (a non-predetermined amount of) values

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I would like to allow the user to enter (a non-predetermined amount of) values for an Android application preference. Existing examples that come to mind are the alarm clock applications found on various smartphones (iPhone, HTC Android, …) where the user can add an alarm clock time.*

Can anyone think of a simple way to present an Android user with an extensible list of editable preference values?

So far I’ve thought of:

  • Comma separated values in a simple text field.
  • Limit the user to let’s say 10 values and implement them as 10 editable preference items (EditTextPreference).
  • Make my own fancy sub-application just for these settings (although I’m not sure yet how I’d do that).

Any other ideas?

Chris

*(additional nice-to-haves along the lines of the alarm example would be: automatic ordering by value/time, a way to activate/deactivate certain values, a wheel for selecting numeric values similar to time and date selection wheels on the iPhone or Android).

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    I would like to allow the user to
    enter (a non-predetermined amount of)
    values for an Android application
    preference.

    Why preferences? Why not use a relational database, or your own flat file structure (e.g., JSON, CSV)?

    Existing examples that come to mind
    are the alarm clock applications found
    on various smartphones (iPhone, HTC
    Android, …) where the user can add
    an alarm clock time.*

    What is your evidence that they use preferences? The alarm clock application does not use a PreferenceActivity, for example.

    Can anyone think of a simple way to
    present an Android user with an
    extensible list of editable preference
    values?

    Use a ListView, with an option menu choice to add items. Tapping on an item brings up an editor on that item, allowing for updates (and, via an option menu choice, deletes). After all, this is what the alarm clock application does.

    automatic ordering by value/time

    Teach your ListAdapter to sort.

    a way to activate/deactivate certain
    values

    Use a ListView set for CHOICE_MODE_MULTIPLE, with a CheckedTextView. Or manage your own checkboxes (the way the alarm clock application does).

    a wheel for selecting numeric values
    similar to time and date selection
    wheels on the iPhone or Android

    There are no “time and date selection wheels” in Android. There are the time and date pickers, which use buttons, not wheels.

    You can view the source code of the alarm clock application to learn more about how it does what it does.

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